Saint Paul sounds the alert in this Sunday's reading from 1 Corinthians that "whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall." Some 2 million Chileans had a firsthand, harrowing experience illustrating that point on Saturday when one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded struck off the coast of central Chile. Some 800 people were confirmed dead and that number is expected to rise.

Natural fertilizers used by gardeners such as the one mentioned in this Sunday's gospel were surely more environmentally friendly than modern chemical compounds utilized in everything from agriculture to embalming. Recent initiatives to clean up the Great Lakes and encourage "green burials" are hopeful steps toward restoring lost ecological balance.

"I must go over to look at this remarkable sight," Moses decided when an angel of the Lord appeared in fire flaming out of a bush. These days teens are more likely to be drawn to what they see on a screen. A new study suggests that the more time they spend in front of computer or television screens, the more problems they have relating to their parents or peers. 

"The Lord secures justice and the rights of all the oppressed," the psalmist informs us this Sunday. The Oregon legislature last week took a step in the same direction by giving their final approval to end a longstanding ban on teachers wearing head scarves or other religious dress. The ban had been enacted in 1923 during a time of anti-Catholic bigotry to keep Catholic nuns from teaching in public schools.

"The American people and the governing class have accepted that war has become a permanent condition. Protracted war has become a widely accepted part of our politics."

The income of the 400 richest Americans rose an average of 31 percent in 2007 (before the recession). Tax cuts on wages and capital gains meant the super-wealthy paid an effective tax rate of 16.6 percent on average annual income of $344.8 million, said the nonprofit organization Tax Analysts.